The reason why I chose "Cloud Nine" by Caryl Churchill as a point of reference for the theater is because I believe that the themes that the show touches on are still very delicate. When this play was written, sexual repression was still a big thing when people didn't have the same freedom to express and be accepted by their sexuality, gay marriage is now legal, which is a big step since then. Even today there are still countries where homosexuality is illegal or despised. “Cloud Nine” is also about femininity, which is still an important topic we talk about today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Cloud Nine" is a play written by Caryl Churchill in the 1970s and first performed at Darlington College of Arts on February 14, 1979 Caryl Churchill began writing in the 1960s and some of her first key works were “Owners” in 1972, “Vinegar Tom” in 1976, “Top Girls” in 1982. “Cloud Nine” was not strictly written with a feminist approach, she. he started writing it with the concept of sexual repression and how it can affect a person on how they live and/or feel. The first act is set in Africa around 1800 during the British Victorian era; Churchill completely avoids giving specific dates. This generalizes the work so that although the general era is given, no specific times are given, the Act is, in some indirect way, timeless. It also reinforces the idea that this play is fiction as there is no exact timestamp to refer to, also the characters are played by the opposite sex, which adds to the idea that this play is fiction, this idea also breaks the fourth wall which is a Brechtian technique. Act 2 is set in London circa 1979, where British colonialism no longer existed but some repressions remained intact. “Cloud Nine” begins with a song that pays homage to England; the action begins immediately after the song ends. Everyone except Clive and Betty leaves the stage. This introduces them as significant characters. Churchill presents his first gender mismatch where men play women and women play men, this is due to the comedic aspect of the play where the audience cannot help but laugh. Churchill complicates matters by confusing genders and their sexual orientation. Characters who are not played by the opposite sex have abnormal sexual orientations. One of the characters in the play, for example Harry, has sexual relations with a boy. "...I want to do it again. I think about it all the time. I try to do it myself but it's not that good. Don't you want more?" (Act One, page 25, Edward) Then Harry replies, "Yes, but it's a sin and a crime and it's wrong too." (Act One, page 25, Harry) Which shows that Harry knows it's wrong and sinful, but he won't stop because it fuels his sexual desires. You really have to think outside the box with Caryl Churchill's work. “Cloud Nine” takes a theatrical approach to making connections between sex, gender, colonialism and politics that we see repeatedly throughout the show. In the play, sex and politics are somehow connected and the characters believe that you cannot separate the two, the idea that you cannot have one without the other. “You can't separate the dick from the economy” (Act 2, Page 75, Victoria). Harry and Betty show their attraction to each other by flirting and later Harry asks the servant Joshua to have sex with him and the pair leave for the stables together, which proves that Harry is bisexual. When Clive discovers Betty's lust and desire for women, he says that.